Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche with Popcorn

Ceviche was something I was looking forward to eating in Ecuador. It’s often disputed that ceviche’s birthplace is either Peru or Ecuador so it’s hard not to find it, and order it, from any given menu. It’s safe to say between the 5 of us we had bowl at 90 percent of our meals. Unfortunately I was too busy eating it to ever remember to take a picture until it was basically devoured….

In Ecuador ceviche it is accompanied by fried plantain chips, corn nuts, or popcorn… That’s right, good old-fashioned freshly popped popcorn. Well anyone that knows me knows I have a sick obsession with popcorn. Ask my poor roommates, because they probably feel like they live at the state fair with the smell of our kitchen at night.

Well this popcorn fixation is followed closely by my love for anything seafood. I blame Grandpa Nelson and our Scandinavian roots for the fish craving. So needless to say, I could live off Ecuadorian ceviche and die happy.

That is why I made it… every single night… this week. Have I proven my point?

While the most commonly known ceviche is made with raw white fish that is “cooked” by the acidity from the lime juice, traditional Ecuadorian ceviche uses shrimp (which you cook!). So if ceviche intimidated you, this recipe should alleviate that fear a bit…

Ceviche was something I was looking forward to eating in Ecuador. It’s often disputed that ceviche’s birthplace is either Peru or Ecuador so it’s hard not to find it, and order it, from any given menu. This Ecuadorian style shrimp ceviche took me back to the week I spent on the Galapagos Islands. It's so easy and delicious!

In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the shrimp and simmer 3-5 minutes until shrimp are pink and opaque. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Add shrimp to onion mixture. Stir in cilantro or fresh mint. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or up to 12 hours.

For the popcorn

Mix the popcorn in oil in a small bowl. Pour the popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag and fold the top twice.

Microwave the bag on high for 3 minutes or until you hear pauses of about 2 seconds between pops.